Caught in a Pincer

One of the world's biggest humanitarian crises is currently playing out in India – and the corona pandemic has been the trigger. Thousands of people – men, women and children, young and old – are moving across the country, pushed out from urban India by fear of disease and deprivation, heading to their homes and an uncertain future in the hinterland. Some are fortunate enough to travel the distance by trains and buses; many are simply walking, even as India's killer public transport systems take a heavy toll.

And at another end of the spectrum, a second exodus has been happening. Cyclone Amphan's devastating fury has forced many more thousands out of their homes and hearths, pushing them into refugee camps or into cities. Between the virus and the vagaries wrought by extreme weather, India's poor have probably never had it so bad in the recent past. Down To Earth has been covering the corona and lockdown-induced migration from the ground, as well as the cyclone and its demonic impacts. In fact, in a unique initiative, Down To Earth's Vivek Mishra has been walking with migrants in north India, sharing and recording their travails, forcing authorities to take note.

What does this unprecedented double whammy tell us? Where have we gone wrong? And what should be done? We bring you a 90-minute discussion on the subject with migration experts, climate change trackers and seasoned journalists. Do join us

You can access Down To Earth's coverage of the migrant crisis and cyclone Amphan here: www.downtoearth.org.in

Watch Vivek Mishra's reportage from the ground as he accompanies migrants on their long walk home: www.facebook.com/ down2earthHindi/videos

For more details:

Souparno Banerjee,
The CSE Media Resource Centre,
souparno@cseindia.org
99108 64339